Ancient lessons for modern times

Simon Goldhill talks about Greek tragedy, extremism and the fantasy of compromise

April 15, 2012|By Chris Jones

Simon Goldhill, professor of classics at King's College in Cambridge, England. (HANDOUT)

Simon Goldhill, the author of the new book "Sophocles and the Language of Tragedy," is both a professor of Greek literature and classics at the University of Cambridge and a popular speaker on tragedy in today's world, known for his lectures for young people. An eclectic academic, Goldhill also wrote "Freud's Couch, Scott's Buttocks, Bronte's Grave," an account of his visits to the literary sites associated with Sigmund Freud, Walter Scott and the Brontës. We talked during Goldhill's recent visit to Chicago.

Q. So what does old Sophocles have to teach us these days?

A. I think he's the best analyst of extremism who ever lived. His plays show us how that when we try to reason with extremists, we get nowhere. The people who take the middle ground in his plays have no impact on anything. Sophocles wants us to ask ourselves what we what die for.

Q. Not that you would want to, say, marry one of his characters.

No. But he also shows us how extremists invariably self-destruct.

This piece ran in full in Printers Row Journal, delivered to Printers Row members with the Sunday Chicago Tribune and by digital edition via email.